Learn why and how to switch to mono audio instead of stereo sound for your AirPods or other earphones on an iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch, and Apple TV.
Sharing an AirPod with a friend is great for those times when you’d like to watch or listen to something together. However, you guys could miss dialogue or some sound effects playing in the other AirPod due to stereo separation. To ensure you hear the same thing, learn how to put your AirPods into mono mode by following our instructions right ahead.
Mono vs. stereo audio
Stereo separation splits the sound between the left and right channel. In some cases, you may to hear both audio channels with one ear. AirPods automatically switch to mono audio when one of the earbuds is in the case. You can also manually turn on mono sound for your AirPods or Bluetooth headphones on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Watch, and we show you how.
Use cases for mono sound
Most of the time, you won’t notice huge differences in stereo channels when watching movies or playing music because dialogue is always in both channels. However, many movies and songs do make heavy use of stereo separation.
This is true for songs with lots of hi-hats and action movies where sound effects often move between the channels. As for music, it’s not just instrumentals or new-age tracks that don’t sound right played through a single channel. Many albums—from rock bands like Queen to instrumentalists such as Michael Oldfield or Jean-Michel Jarre to Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album—use immersive stereo soundscape.
Folks who are deaf or hard of hearing may miss some sounds with just one AirPod in their ear. But thanks to the little-known mono audio mode in iOS, you can share your earbuds with someone like a person sitting next to you on a flight. Both of you will hear a stereo mix through their AirPod and not miss a thing.
Turn on mono audio for AirPods and other earphones
Most Bluetooth headphones, whether wired or wireless, can be put in mono audio mode, not just AirPods, by following these steps:
iPhone and iPad
- Open the Settings app and choose Accessibility.
- Scroll down to the Hearing section and tap Audio/Visual.
- Enable Mono Audio.
Your iOS device will play a stereo mix through each individual AirPod. If you give one AirPods to a friend and put the other one in your ear, you’ll both hear the same thing without missing anything. Just be sure to turn off mono mode when done sharing your AirPods.
Mac
To turn on mono audio on your Mac, open the System Settings app and select Accessibility in the sidebar, then choose the Audio option on the right and turn on the switch for Play stereo audio as mono.
If your Mac is running an older macOS version, head to System Preferences > Accessibility instead and choose Audio in the sidebar, then tick the box next to Play stereo audio as mono.
Apple TV
To set your Apple TV to output mono audio, open the Settings app and choose Accessibility, then select Hearing and turn on Mono Mode.
Apple Watch
To toggle audio mode between mono and stereo sound when using wireless headphones on your Apple Watch, open the companion Watch app on your paired iPhone. Select the My Watch tab, and choose Accessibility, then scroll down and turn on Mono Audio underneath the Hearing heading.
Testing stereo separation
Put one AirPod in your ear and leave the other one in the charging case, then play the video embedded below. You should hear both audio channels through the AirPod in your ear. Now put the other AirPod in your other ear, and the audio should switch back to stereo mode. Lastly, take one AirPod out of your ear, but don’t put it back in the charging case. The sound should still play through both AirPods, in stereo, until you store one of the earbuds in the charging case.
Ideas for mono mode improvements
AirPods sense when they’re in your ears and pause when taken out. But if one AirPod is in the charging case and the other is in your ear, iOS will automatically downmix audio so that both left and right audio channels are played through a single earbud.
What I’d love to see is automatic mono mode if I’m wearing one AirPod at a time. Another idea worth exploring: routing phone calls to one AirPod, with your music continuing to play in stereo mode through the other earbud or CarPlay.
Jonas Lindgren suggested on X that it’d be cool if AirPods could sense how far away they are from each other (possible with Bluetooth proximity information), so that a distance greater than a regular head would turn on mono automatically.
Using mono audio with AirPods
If you knew about mono audio in iOS, more power to you. If not, well, now you know why you’ve heard so many half Beatles songs at work. I use my AirPods a lot, be it while driving, at work, out in public, or in the gym. In those situations, I prefer wearing one earbud so that I’m acutely aware of my surroundings.
Thanks to this tip, I can now listen to my favorite Queen tracks through a single AirPod while driving and not wonder why the heck the music suddenly sounds like a bunch of stuff is missing.
Also, check out: 30+ tips to make the most of your AirPods Pro on iPhone and iPad